Hua Yanjun, nicknamed A Bing, was born in 1893, the 19th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, in Xiaosifang, Dongting, Wuxi County. Later he became blind and was known as "Blind A Bing". His father, Hua Qinghe, was the head Taoist priest of the Sanqing Hall Taoist Temple in Wuxi City
and was good at Taoist music. Hua Yanjun lost his mother when he was young and was raised by his aunt of the same clan. At the age of 8, he followed his father as a young Taoist priest in Lei Zun Hall. He studied in a private school for three years, and then learned drums, flutes, erhu, pipa and other musical instruments from his father. At the age of 12, he can already play a variety of musical instruments, and often participates in activities such as worshiping, chanting sutras, and playing music. He studied hard, kept improving, and extensively absorbed folk music tunes to break through the constraints of Taoist music. At the age of 18, he was hailed as an expert performer by Wuxi Taoist music circles.
When his father died when he was 22 years old, he succeeded him as the head Taoist priest of Lei Zun Temple. Later, due to careless friendships, he became involved in the bad habits of prostitution and drug abuse. At the age of 35, he lost his sight in both eyes. In order to make a living, he took to the streets with his pipa and huqin on his back, composed and sang his own songs, rapped about the news, and became a street performer. At the age of 40, he lived with the widow Dong Jidi
(Caidi). Singing every afternoon in the paddock in front of the Sanwanchang Tea House in Chong'an Temple. He dares to cut to the chase, criticize the darkness of society, and attract audiences with a rap format that people love to hear. In the 16th year of the Republic of China, the April 14th counter-revolutionary incident occurred in Wuxi. He immediately composed and sang "Qin Qi's Blood Splattered on the Great Hall" to expose the atrocities of the right wing of the Kuomintang in bloodbathing the Federation of Trade Unions and killing Chairman Qin Qi. After the January 28th Incident, he
composed and sang the news of "The 19th Route Army bravely resisted the enemy invaders in Shanghai" and played the "March of the Volunteers" on the erhu. During the boycott of Japanese goods, he used passionate words to inspire people's patriotic enthusiasm.
Many of his news pieces sang the voices of the masses and were deeply loved by ordinary citizens. Every night he walked through the streets and alleys, playing the erhu while walking, and his tone was touching. "Two Springs Reflect the Moon", which is famous in the international music scene, was created during this period. After the Japanese army invaded Wuxi, A Bing and Dong Cui took refuge in their hometowns. Soon he went to Shanghai and worked as a pianist in the Xianni Club of the Kun Opera Troupe, playing the three-stringed instrument. He also played an extra role as a blind man in the movie "Seven Heavens". At this time, he composed "Listening to the Pine", a heroic and emotional erhu solo, expressing his patriotic passion for not being a slave to the country's subjugation. In the 28th year of the Republic of China
Returned to Xicheng and resumed his old business. He went to the teahouse every morning to collect various news, came back to conceive and create, and sang in front of the Chong'an Temple teahouse in the afternoon; at night he played the erhu on the street and played his composition "Wind Song of Cold Spring". He is very skilled in piano skills. He can place the pipa on his head and play it. He can also use the erhu to imitate the sounds of men, women, old and young talking, sighing, laughing, as well as the crowing of cocks and the barking of dogs. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, he was banned from rapping news in a fixed place in Chong'an Temple. In the 36th year of the Republic of China, he suffered from lung disease and was bedridden and vomited blood. From then on, he stopped performing on the streets and made a living by repairing huqin at home.
Wuxi was liberated on April 23, 1949, and A Bing and his music such as "Two Springs Reflect the Moon" were given a new lease of life. In the summer of 1950, in order to discover, research and preserve folk music, teachers and students from the Central Conservatory of Music commissioned Professor Yang Yinliu and others to make a special trip to Wuxi to record "Moon Reflected on Two Springs", "Listening to the Pines", "The Moon" "Cold Spring Wind" 3 erhu pieces and 3 pipa pieces "Big Waves Washing the Sand", "Dragon Boat" and "Zhaojun Leaving the Fortress"
He died of illness on December 12, 1950, at the age of 57, and was buried in the Taoist cemetery next to Mingyang Temple in Canshan, Wuxi. In October 1983, a new tomb was rebuilt next to Yingshan Lake in Xihui Park. The music composed, adapted
and inherited by Abing was later compiled into "Abing's Song Collection" by the Chinese Music Research Institute of the Central Conservatory of Music. In 1959, on the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Abing's erhu solo record "Er Quan Ying Yue" was one of the state's gifts to foreign guests. Abing is recognized around the world as an outstanding folk musician in China.
After the music appreciation activity "Two Springs Reflect the Moon", children can be introduced to the life of the composer so that children can experience the connotation of music.